THE NEXT GENERATION OF FIGHTERS
With the rising profile of Muay Thai at the international level, the youngsters who spoke to CNA TODAY shared their dreams of representing Singapore on the world stage, even if there is still a long journey to get there.
Singapore already has a number of accomplished adult Muay Thai fighters, such as 32-year-old Cheryl Gwa, who clinched the country’s first silver medal at the Muaythai World Championships last November.
For youths to be able to reach that level, they first need to prove themselves in lower level competitions such as the Amateur Muay Thai Championship (AMC), which is held in Orchard Plaza’s Club Lunar and slated for Feb 22 this year.
Singapore MuayThai Federation’s secretary-general Chris Wong told CNA TODAY that the best athletes from AMC will be selected to represent Singapore in international sporting competitions such as the Southeast Asian Games.
With this in mind, Niyaz, Sayyid and Qarizh have their eyes on the AMC to fight for a spot on the nation’s youth team, which is for athletes aged 10 to 17.
With the competition just a week away, the young fighters have been ramping up their preparations, spending five to seven days a week training.
As they dream of joining the ranks of their idols such as ONE Championship winner Rodtang Jitmuangnon one day, their parents plan to do whatever it takes to support them.
“I take them to fights for experience, experience, experience. It’s okay to lose. Most importantly, they should have fun and learn from it, because there are many world champions who have had losses,” Mr Mustafa said.
As for Sayyid, the boy is aware that many people are watching him climb the Muay Thai ranks. On TikTok, his training videos are watched by close to 45,000 followers. His seniors from secondary school have approached him, calling him an inspiration to them.
Although he feels more pressure to do well, the 12-year-old said that he uses his peers’ encouragement to motivate himself and to keep performing at his best.
“To represent Singapore is a dream come true,” Sayyid said. “As the saying goes, ‘Train until your idols become your rivals’. I want to achieve more than what I have now.”
